Supreme Court Quashes Defamation Case Against Rahul Gandhi

The Supreme Court on August 14, 2026, quashed a hate speech case against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi regarding his 2022 remarks about V.D. Savarkar.

A Division Bench led by Justice Dipankar Datta dismissed the complaint filed by Lucknow resident Nripendra Pandey because the Uttar Pradesh government failed to grant the required prosecution sanction.

The court order nullified both the private complaint and the summons issued by the Lucknow Magistrate, citing Section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure which mandates prior government approval.